The Life I Never Knew
by History Maker 21730
Summary: Summary: What if Kyle Reese didn't die while protecting Sarah? This is a story of how Kyle and Sarah raised their son together with Judgment Day hanging in their future. I'm going to combine the events from the movies and from the series.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Summary: What if Kyle Reese didn't die while protecting Sarah? This is a story of how Kyle and Sarah raised their son together with Judgment Day hanging in their future. I combined the events from the movies and from the series.

Chapter 1 - Prologue

"Reese!" Sarah screamed desperately. She didn't want to believe that Kyle had died. Sure, she knew that it was unlikely that one could survive such explosion like that.

The Terminator had been destroyed. Now, Sarah hoped beyond anything that her sight had deceived her, that Kyle Reese couldn't be died. She desperately hoped that behind the ruins and wreckages she would find Kyle, alive.

After a while, Sarah saw him. He couldn't be in any worse condition than that.

Sarah kneeled beside him and caressed his face. "Reese! Don't you dare dying like this! Please wake up!" Sarah said in desperation with tears streaming down her face.

"Sarah," Kyle croaked weakly.

"Reese! Hold on, okay? Help is coming. You will not die," Sarah said, relieved that Kyle wasn't dead but anxious waiting for the help to come. She didn't know how much time Kyle would be able to wait until help came. Kyle's face was bloodied. He had the worst injuries Sarah had ever seen. She prayed to God that somehow Kyle would survive this.

Sounds of sirens could be heard approaching, much to Sarah and Kyle's reliefs.

"Please hold on, Kyle. They are coming," Sarah said comfortingly as they waited.

"Hello! Is anybody here? Oh God, what happened to this place?" Sarah heard a man's voice from the entrance.

"Help! We need help!" Sarah shouted, trying to grab their attention.

"There's somebody down there. Call the medics!" she heard the same man giving order to someone else.

Sarah shouted again, "There's someone injured here! Please hurry up!" She knew that the longer they waited the worse Kyle's condition would be. She looked down at Kyle again. He had fallen into unconsciousness.

"We need help! Quickly!" Sarah kept shouting until she heard footsteps approaching them.

"Oh my God! What happened here?" A blonde woman with short hair quickly lifted Kyle onto a stretcher with the help of a tall man who looked in his forties.

"Ma'am, you do need medical attention, too," said the woman after Kyle was put into an ambulance. Sarah just resigned when they brought her into another ambulance.

"His injuries were severe and he had lost lots of blood, but fortunately we managed to treat most of the injuries but he still needs couple of days of rest," he heard a male voice speaking.

"How much time 'till he is allowed to leave the hospital?" a familiar female voice could be heard asking.

"Two days, but it's highly recommended that he would stay for at least a week," the male said.

"Look, he's waking up," an unknown female voice spoke.

The world was slowly returned to his vision. The first thing he saw was the face of Sarah Connor watching him concerned.

"Sarah?" he managed to croak.

"Hey, easy there. You've got a lot of injuries. It's a miracle that you're still alive now," the male answered him.

"Hold on, okay. I'm here. We're alive. Great, huh?" Sarah said to him with tears on her face.

"Yeah, it's great. What about _it_?" Kyle couldn't help but worry that the terminator had not been destroyed and was currently searching for them. He knew Sarah would know the full meaning of "it".

"It's nothing more. We did it. We survived," Sarah answered him. Her voice was thick with emotions.

Kyle Reese rested again in peacefulness knowing that everything was going to be okay, at least for now.

Sarah never left Kyle's side as he was resting in the hospital bed. The doctor and the nurse had checked on him again an hour ago, saying that he was recovering fast.

It had been a week since their last encounter with the terminator. Sarah's night had been filled with nightmares ever since then. She would dream about Kyle's death, the future or even her unborn son's death. Sarah was not surprised when everyone told her that she looked like she had seen better days. It was maybe because it was true, actually. However, if she had to choose between her former life and Kyle, she would gladly choose Kyle. Her world had changed when he came to her that night. She was not only introduced to destruction and death, however, she had encountered her true love in the night.

Sarah looked down at her belly. The doctor had told them that she was pregnant. It was John that was inside her belly. She smiled. What would Kyle's reaction be knowing that John was his son? She would make this a surprise for him.

Sarah heard someone entering the room. It was the nurse. She checked Kyle's condition and wrote something on her board.

"So, are you going to tell him that you're pregnant when he wakes up? He will surely be delighted. You two make wonderful parents, I'm sure," the nurse said, smiling warmly at her as she continued to write.

"Yes, I am. I'm going to make it a surprise though. I don't want him getting a heart attack because of the news," answered Sarah. She had really grown to like this friendly nurse. But then, wasn't that what social workers good at?

The nurse laughed, "I remember when my husband got the news that I was pregnant. He went to catatonic state like this," she demonstrated it, making Sarah laughed. "Yeah, then he danced around the room, kept saying 'I'm a father, I'm a father' over and over again," she grinned. "The good thing is that your husband isn't in a good state to do that," she laughed.

_My husband? We haven't even married._ Sarah decided that they should get married soon. After all, it would be a bad record for them to have a baby outside marriage. "Yeah, I'm a very lucky girl," Sarah responded to the nurse.

"You're Sarah, right? I'm Stephanie. Maybe our kids can play together sometimes," she said.

"Sure. How old is your kid?" Sarah asked.

"She is two. She's with her father when I work," Stephanie answered.

Sarah didn't respond as she saw Kyle opened his eyes.

"Well, I think I leave you two alone for now. Just make sure that he doesn't go out from bed," the nurse said as she exited the room.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Sarah asked him softly.

"Ugh, I think my head hurts, a lot. Sarah, would you please help me to sit?" Kyle asked with a hoarse voice which was considerable for someone who had spent almost a week without talking.

"Are you sure it's okay?" she asked doubtfully.

"You heard what she said. She said not to go out from bed. I don't. I don't like talking while laying on the bed," Kyle said as he produced a cheeky smile to her.

"Alright, fine. But don't blame me if you have more injuries because of this," Sarah said with mock annoyance. Levity was good to relieve tensions.

Sarah helped Kyle to sit. They were both quiet for a moment. There were too much going on their minds.

"So, I guess it's nice seeing you alive?" Sarah tried to begin a conversation.

Kyle blinked in response. "Yeah, it's nice to be alive."

"What will happen now?" Sarah inquired.

"Well, I suppose you will meet your husband soon enough and conceive John," Kyle said. Sarah noticed that he had a strange tone when he spoke the sentence.

Sarah contemplated whether it was convenient to drop the bomb now. "No, I don't think so," Sarah responded, a smile slowly forming in the corners of her mouth.

Kyle stared at her, confused. "Why? It's got to be like that. It's fated," he said.

Sarah finally made her decision. "Because I think I have met him." Sarah looked at Kyle in the eyes, "I'm pregnant, Kyle. I think it's John. He's _our_ son."

Kyle had his jaw dropped in shock. It was funny to see him like that, actually. "What!"

Sarah couldn't help rolling her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Kyle. I think it's John. He's _our _son," she said, repeating her sentence again in mock understanding of what Kyle said.

Kyle, on the other hand, was too much engrossed in his own shock to respond to Sarah's attempt to humor him. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that John Connor, THE John Connor was actually his own son, his legacy. His mind flashed back to his time in the future.

*Flash Back*

He was trapped. There was no way out. He was in Skynet central. Escaping was just impossible. Suddenly, he heard commotions around here. Then, gunfire happened. He was still in his cell, along with Star and five other people who looked just as terrified as he felt. There was a red light blazing in front of their cell. The door opened suddenly.

"Come with me if you want to live. The command wants to bomb this place in half an hour. We've got to move fast," the person who was speaking was a young man in his early twenties with a brown hair and sharp green eyes.

The cell members, including him, quickly followed the man. They almost reached the exit when suddenly two terminators ambushed them. The man shouted to the cell members to run to the exit as he was firing bullets to the machine. The others complied. Kyle was preparing himself to run until he saw one of the machines grabbed Star.

"Star!" he cried.

The man who was fighting the other machine looked up hearing Kyle's yell. The distraction was enough for the machine. It threw the man across the room. The man quickly got to his feet and saw his moment. He fired a bullet to each eye of the machine with a quick precision and the red glow in the eyes of the machines turned off. It was terminated.

Kyle was busy distracting the terminator who grabbed Star by throwing anything to him. It seemed to work. It released Star and deemed Kyle to be the higher threat. Kyle tried desperately to push back his fears as it advanced to him. He wondered why of all moments it was in this moment he didn't have a gun with him.

The next thing he knew was the man, holding two live wires, jammed it on the machines head. It fell into the ground and started twitching mechanically. Kyle could only watch as the man pulled a knife from his belt, opened the scalp of the machine's head and pulled out its chip.

"It's terminated," he said as he put the chip into his pocket. Seeing Kyle's questioning stare, he just shrugged and said, "It might be useful for information. Come on!" he said.

The three of them moved toward the entrance. They moved quickly until they entered a place where the terminators were made. Kyle was fascinated and yet terrified. He saw Star was looking over some tubes. The man went to see what Star was looking at.

"What is that?" Kyle asked as he approached them.

"It's their fuel cells," the man answered him. "Their power sources," he added, seeing two confused glances directed at him. He suddenly smirked, "It's nuclear. It will be enough to blow this place."

There was a movement from their back. The three of them turned around to see a T-800 marching towards them. The man quickly locked in a fight with the T-800, managing to knock the terminator off enough to give them time to run. They ran and saw a lift that would lead them towards the exit. They quickly got into the lift which was thankfully empty. Something unexpected happened. The man jumped out of the lift just as it started to ascend.

"What are you doing?" Kyle shouted to the man.

"Just go to the exit! You will find the transport!" The man said as he landed to the ground.

"What! No, I couldn't leave you! Come on!" Kyle said, knowing that it would only be seconds for the lift to close up.

"No. I have to get it done," the man said with such conviction. Kyle knew right there that this man wasn't just another soldier.

"Who are you?" Kyle asked.

"John Connor," the man said as he took off to the terminator processing room again.

Kyle stared after him. It was John Connor. The John Connor he heard on the radio, the legend himself. It was the first time Kyle Reese met John Connor. He was 16 and John Connor was 23. The year was 2018.

*End of Flash Back*


	2. Whole New World

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Chapter 2 - Whole New World

"The scan shows that your baby is a boy and a very healthy one, Mrs. Reese. No sign of abnormality so far," the doctor said with a smile to the couple in front of him. _Such a sweet couple,_ he thought.

"Just make sure that your wife takes her morning pills twice a week if the pain starts again," he added.

"Sure, doctor. Thank you for your time," Kyle Reese said to the doctor as he and Sarah got up and shook the doctor's hand.

It had been eight months since the news of Sarah's pregnancy and it had been seven and a half months since Kyle and Sarah were married. They were a happy couple now, waiting for their firstborn to be born. Kyle was still adapting to the lifestyle of the world before Judgment Day. Sarah helped him a lot on that matter.

Kyle and Sarah Reese was just a normal couple for now. They had a small house in the peaceful suburban of L.A. Kyle and Sarah got themselves a job, too, at least before Sarah was forced to rest because John's birth was approaching.

"Okay, so what's next?" Kyle asked as they got into their car.

"Well, probably it was time to buy baby supplies. We can go to the supermarket near the theatre. It's probably the nearest," answered Sarah.

Kyle smiled at Sarah, "You know, I think I'm the luckiest guy on earth to have you as my wife, Sarah."

Sarah smiled back, "No, I think I'm the lucky one to have you in my life, Kyle."

"We're going to make a great parent," Kyle looked at Sarah's big belly with smile.

"Yes, we are. How is he, in the future? What's he like?" Sarah asked.

"You know, I thought that you were not going to ask me that question," answered Kyle.

"Well, I was, but if he is like what you told me, that sets a very high standard. Just how exactly do you raise the future savior of world? There isn't any manual book to do that, is it?" Sarah said as she looked at Kyle.

"You have done it, Sarah. You've done it so well until you become a legend in the future. You're not alone, Sarah. I'm here, too," Kyle smiled again, trying to assure Sarah.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she smiled.

"John in the future is the deadliest resistance fighter, a real pain-in-the-ass for Skynet. There's something about him that make you trust him. You will be proud of him. I am proud of him," Kyle had a faraway look on his face.

"Yeah, I think I already am proud of him," Sarah held Kyle other hand as he was driving with his other hand.

_One month later. November 14__th__, 1983. _

"I'm here, Sarah. I'm here. Just push harder, okay? Now take a deep breath and push! You almost make it!" an anxious Kyle Reese held the hand of his wife as she entered into labor. He was extremely worried and anxious.

The sound of baby crying was the moment that would forever be remembered in Kyle Reese's heart. His heart leapt in joy seeing his firstborn for the first time.

"Congratulations! You've got a very healthy baby boy!" the doctor said excitedly, giving Sarah the baby wrapped in blue blanked to meet his mother. The doctor exited to give them their privacy.

Kyle stared at his wife and his newborn son. _This is it. This is life. This is love. This is what we're fighting for,_ Kyle found himself smiling.

"He's so handsome, Kyle," Sarah said as she cuddled her new baby lovingly, tears forming in her eyes. She looked up and saw Kyle had the softest smile ever. "Do you want to hold him?"

Kyle held the baby with such tenderness. The baby John seemed to wake up from his sleep and opened his eyes, revealing two beautiful emerald orbs, just like his mother. He had small speck of brown hair, just slightly darker than his own hair. Kyle could see the features of the leader of humankind faintly in his son. Kyle touched his son's cheek. He was unaware of his own tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"What do we name him?" Kyle looked up to Sarah. She was smiling watching the father and son together.

"John Kyle Reese," Sarah said.

"Oh, that explains why he never told us his middle name," Kyle answered with a grin.

For now, their world was perfect. This was the happy moment they would hold on to in time of sufferings in the future. For now, it was a father, a mother and a son. It was perfect.


	3. Fresh Start

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Chapter 3 – Fresh Start

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Reese. I'm afraid that you cannot have any more children after your firstborn," Doctor Elizabeth Lane said to Sarah Connor-Reese apologetically.

Sarah looked at Kyle with sad eyes, "I'm sorry I couldn't give you any more children, Kyle."

Kyle smiled warmly to Sarah, "There's nothing to be sorry for, Sarah. John is more than enough."

Sarah smiled back, "But don't you want a sibling for John?"

"If there were two, I hate to think what would have happened to…you know," Kyle suddenly remembered the presence of Doctor Lane. He added, "Probably delighted would be the appropriate word instead of hate."

Sarah laughed good-naturedly to Kyle's attempt to cheer her. She was holding the baby John as he slept. Sarah caressed her son's cheek. She smiled warmly.

"You're right," Sarah looked back at Kyle. A smile was in her face.

_February 15__th__, 1987_

"Breakfast is ready!" Sarah's voice could be heard. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked up and saw Kyle with John squealing excitedly on his shoulders. She laughed at the sight.

"Yeah! Mommy makes pancakes!" John said excitedly as he tried to sit on one of the chairs. Kyle took pity on him and helped him. While doing so, he looked at Sarah. "Burnt pancakes?" asked Kyle, trying to hold his laughter and failed miserably.

Sarah huffed at him. "You know, your son is more appreciating than you do. Guess who's more mature now," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes as she cut a piece of pancake into small bites for John.

Kyle faked a hurt look at her, "Come on, Sarah. That's just insulting, you know?"

Sarah just rolled her eyes again in response. It was just a normal day in the Reese household.

John frowned after eating the first bite, "Mommy, this is not yummy." Kyle burst in laughter hearing that. "Even John agreed with me," he said between his laughter.

"Honey, what is that I told you about something like this?" Sarah asked her son with her sweet smile.

John gulped. "Never wake a sleeping dog," he said with a small voice. He looked down for a moment then he looked up again, flashing his innocent smile. "But mommy, the book says that every man should be free to express opinion?" he said.

Kyle and Sarah stared at him. John was a brilliant kid; sure they didn't doubt the slightest. However, there were times like this when he was surprisingly 'wise beyond his age'. In times like this, they were reminded of who John would become in the future, and inevitably, what the world would happen in the future.

"What book?" Kyle said as he took a bite, wincing slightly as he tasted the burnt taste.

"Gaby gave him books for his last birthday," Sarah answered him.

"Children books?" Kyle asked.

"You'd think for a three-year-old. But no. He seemed to deem it appropriate for a kid to read politic and law and whatever stuff that should not be appropriate for kids," Sarah said with a mild annoyance of their neighbor's attempt to give John's birthday present.

Kyle chuckled. "Take it easy, Sarah. She probably didn't have the money to buy gifts, besides her husband was a lawyer before he died."

"Yeah, but it isn't enough to be an excuse," Sarah responded.

Overall, their day was normal.

Sarah finished tucking John to sleep after reading him his bedtime story. She turned off the lights of John's room and went to her and Kyle's room. She opened the door and saw Kyle sat on their bed, seemingly waiting her.

"Hey, you're still up?" Sarah said as she massaged Kyle's back.

"That's good," he said, enjoying the massage. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Sarah asked.

Kyle looked at Sarah in the eyes. Sarah knew right then that he wanted to have a serious talk with her. "Sarah, I think it's time to train John."

"I've always known that this day will come eventually, Kyle. I just want him to have a normal childhood. He's still three, Kyle. He deserves to be normal."

"I want John to have a normal life, too. I really do, but he needs to be prepared, Sarah. It's his destiny," Kyle said sadly.

"Unless we stop Judgment Day," Sarah muttered.

"Yes, unless we stop Judgment Day, but the training is for precaution, for now. In case we are not able to stop it, John has to be ready," countered Kyle.

Sarah sighed. "You're right. Just don't tell him about Judgment Day, alright? We can tell him when the time is right. When he's ready," Sarah finally gave in.

Kyle thought about it for a moment. "Alright, but we've got to tell him sooner or later."

Sarah smiled at Kyle. "I love you, Kyle," she said with warmth on her eyes.

"I love you too, Sarah."


	4. Vacation

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Chapter 4 - Vacation

"Sarah! I cannot find my baseball glove!" Kyle's voice could be heard in the middle of the car's engine's voice. The door of the passenger seat was open.

Sarah huffed. "Men and their sports," she muttered. "Okay, John. Stay here, alright? If there's something happens, just sound the car horn, okay?"

John nodded, smiling at her as he looked up from the book he was reading. Sarah ruffled his hair and went out to the house, following Kyle who had already stormed into the house, searching for his missing baseball glove. Kyle and Sarah had been checking their luggage for the final time when Kyle suddenly remembered the glove. She couldn't blame Kyle for not abandoning the cheap glove. It was one of the non-living witnesses of this family's love that they had. Sarah had bought the full set for Kyle as their first wedding anniversary. Kyle had used it to teach John playing baseball. He said it was one of his favorite things to do before Judgment Day.

She entered the house again and found Kyle rummaging through one of the boxes in the house containing things that they had decided to leave.

"Do you remember when the last time you saw it?" Kyle asked when he heard Sarah approaching.

Sarah grabbed another box and start rummaging through it. "No. I think it was with you all the time."

"Yeah, that's what I think too."

"You know, maybe you have put it in the bag near the front seat," Sarah frowned. "We haven't checked it, have we?"

Kyle's eyes lit up with a sudden realization. "Oh God," he said as he went into the car again.

Sarah could just shake her head seeing her husband's antics. She chuckled lightly and tidied the boxes once again. She was finished not long after that. She went to the car again and locked the front door. She took one last look to the house they had inhabited for three years.

"Goodbye, normal life," she said quietly as she turned around and walked to the car.

"So did you find the glove?" Sarah asked after she sat on the passenger seat.

Kyle's response was a grin. "Yeah, do you believe it? How could I forget?" He then added, "I love you, Sarah."

"What? You love me just because I keep reminding you when you forget?" Sarah looked hurt.

"No, it's not like that. I mean… I love you for who you are, Sarah, a wonderful wife and mother for my kid and the love of my life," Kyle said hurriedly seeing Sarah's expression.

Sarah laughed. From the corner of her eyes, she saw John was watching them apprehensively. _He is learning,_ Sarah thought proudly. She really loved her son to bits.

"So, are we ready to go travelling?" Kyle said with an overly and fatherly cheerful tone.

"Yeah!" John replied enthusiastically from the back seat. Sarah replied with a chuckle.

"Where are we going, dad?" John asked while he grabbed a pack of snack and tore it open.

Sarah answered this time, "Mexico, honey. We're going to hike in the jungles. How do you think?"

"Awesome!" answered John with his cute high-pitched tone. A crunch could be heard a moment later as John took the first bite of his snack. Kyle turned on the radio. It played a number of children songs while they were leaving L.A.

Sarah quipped in, "Mexico, here we come," earning both Kyle and John's laughs.

"So, how many days are we going to stay in the city?" Kyle said as he parked their car to the parking lot of a hotel.

They had arrived in Mexico now. Sarah insisted that they should stay at a hotel first before going to the jungles. She wanted to have what she called "normal family times" first. Kyle couldn't complain though. He knew that Sarah wasn't used to the life of a soldier, a warrior. He just couldn't force Sarah and John to throw up their pretended normal lives and started to live like they could die anytime tomorrow, just like his life used to be when he was in the future. Thinking about the future had always reminded Kyle of who John would be in the future. He of course had his doubts that he could raise John well enough to become what John was meant to be. However, when he thought over it, he knew that he had seen the proof that he and Sarah had done it well.

Sarah contemplated her answer. "How about a week? That will be enough for our vacation," she said as she helped Kyle unloading their belongings on the trolley the hotel had provided them.

Kyle grinned. "We're really going to enjoy this, right? A week of normal days," Kyle said. He walked to open the back seat's door where his son was sleeping peacefully.

"Hey kiddo, wake up," Kyle tickled John's body a little.

John stirred and opened his sleepy eyes. He saw his father grinning down at him and tickled him again. He laughed. "Stop it, dad. Are we there yet?"

Kyle gave a mock frown. "Well, the car had parked. It couldn't hurt to understand first before speaking," he grinned after that. He knew he did it intentionally to get his son learning ahead of his age.

John only grinned in response before he hopped off from the car.

Kyle watched his three-almost-four year old son as John ran around cheerfully, exploring new things as he went. He knew there was a road ahead for the three of them. The road was definitely not an easy one, but they would make it with each other's support. He thanked God for his family, for the change to be out of the apocalyptic future.

"Kyle! Help me, would you," Sarah's voice cut off his reveries. He realized that he had been standing there, watching John, with a smile on his face. He chuckled to himself.

"Sorry, honey," he called to Sarah as he moved to help her.


	5. Books

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Chapter 5 - Books

"Okay, John, try not to cause any trouble, alright?" Kyle said as he ruffled his son's hair.

It was their second day in Mexico. They had planned on spending the day in a bookstore. It was Sarah's idea originally. Kyle and John had been surprised as Sarah was not the type who liked spending time reading book. It was more like John's type. However, Sarah had gotten tired of wasting their money buying food. She insisted on learning cooking skills herself by reading books. Kyle had to laugh at her idea, earning him a perfectly good smack in the head.

"Okay, dad," John said sweetly with a huge grin on his face. Kyle could tell that he was not going to obey his word. He tried another tactic.

"Well, if you cause any trouble, you won't get an ice cream then," he said. He laughed at his son's horrified look. Sarah smiled watching the exchange.

The three of them entered the book store. Sarah was heading to the cooking section of the bookshelves. John had refused to follow her, saying that he wasn't interested in watching culinary stuffs, so that Kyle was left to watch over John.

"Hey, dad, can I go over there?" John asked as he pointed to a shelf containing children's fairytales.

"Sure," Kyle answered. He followed John to the section. He waited for a while as John was browsing through the books, occasionally reading the preferred books. Kyle looked over the section next to the children section. It was the parenting section.

"John, stay here for a while, okay? I'm going to go over the next section. Don't make any troubles, okay?" he said.

"Uh huh, dad," John said, not looking up at him. He was engrossed reading a particular book.

Kyle walked over to the shelf. He had never considered reading a book about parenting before. Life post Judgment Day taught you to figure things out by yourself. Well, he could certainly try some. After all, he needed all the help of raising John because he was not who you could call a normal son.

He browsed over the books in the shelf. There were some books that quipped up his interest. He grabbed them and put them in the provided bag. He returned to John's place. He was surprised to find John still reading the same book as he left.

"Whoa, I'm impressed. You're not causing any sound when I left. That has to be in the world record," he grinned.

John looked up from his book and grinned back. Then, he continued his reading again.

"So, what's the book?" he asked.

"It's the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, dad. Can we buy it?" John said with a pleading look.

"Okay. Okay," Kyle said.

"Thank you, dad!" he said excitedly and hugged his dad. Kyle ruffled his hair again.

"So, have you done?" seeing John's still excited nod, he continued, "Let's go fetch mom."

The father and the son walked to the cooking section. They found Sarah staring at the bookshelf with a frown.

"Mom! Dad agreed to buy me a book!" John said with his usual excitement. Sarah stopped staring and smiled to her son.

"So, do you get the book you want?" Kyle asked.

Sarah eyed the shelf with a frown. "Not yet. I still haven't found a book about making pancakes."

Kyle stared at her. Even John stopped what he was doing to stare at his mom. "You're not obsessed over pancakes, are you?" Kyle asked tentatively.

"Of course not. My mother used to make me pancakes when I was little. It was healthy for young children," Sarah said defensively.

"Well, if that so, why don't you try making something else? There's a lot of healthy food here. You don't want to drive us crazy with pancakes every day, do you?" he replied teasingly.

Sarah smirked at him. "I suppose so. I'm going to make salad in return then."

Kyle stared horrified at her. "Salad? No way, Sarah. Pancake's better."

"Well, salad is much healthier. There will be no risk of burning them." Sarah grinned at Kyle.

"I'm glad that you were just kidding. I'm not about to spend the rest of the month eating salad."

Sarah picked up a few books about making cookies, noodles and dinner. They went over the cashier. Sarah frowned a little when seeing Kyle's choices of book. She was delighted, however, after seeing John's choice.

The rest of their journey back to the hotel went uneventful.

Sarah found Kyle reading on the couch later that night. She caught the title of the book.

"'100 Ways of Raising Your Child'?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kyle looked up to her. "Yeah," he said, somewhat embarrassedly.

She sensed his worries. "Kyle, we're going to be wonderful parents for John. We don't need such kind of book, especially if the writer had no idea of our circumstances."

"I know," said Kyle, but he continued reading anyway.

Sarah looked at the other books Kyle had bought.

"How to be the World's Greatest Daddy? What Your Child Most Needs? A Collection of Good Parental Advices and Suggestions?" Sarah stated incredulously.

Kyle only grinned. Sarah laughed. She picked up the one titled "How to be the World's Greatest Daddy" and opened it. She grinned widely and then laughed after a while.

"What?" Kyle asked, looking up from the book he was reading. "What's so funny?"

"Look, here is written, 'Always give your child encouragements to dream as high as possible. Remind your child that they are responsible for the future. Don't force your child to be something you want. Let him or her create their destiny'. In other words, there is no fate but what we make, right? How ironic," said Sarah.

Kyle laughed. "This is going to be so complicated, right?"

"We'll make it, Kyle. Together," Sarah smiled.

"You and John are the greatest gifts God has given to me," he said.

_Even though the future is looking bleak and dangerous, we will always be together, _Kyle thought peacefully as he drifted off to sleep with Sarah on his side.


	6. The Training Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Chapter 6 - The Training Begins

"Dad, where are we going?" John asked as he helped his parents packing their belongings with the best of his ability.

Kyle stopped from what he was doing for a moment to come up with an answer to John's question. "Well, son, we're going to the jungles. It's going to be fun," he answered.

John's eyes widened with excitement. "Cool. Can I meet Mr. Crocodile?"

"Who is Mr. Crocodile?" Sarah joined the conversation.

"Well, he's in the jungle now. He hates antelopes since one of them has fooled him. He wants to eat them. I want to tell him to not to kill them," said John innocently.

Sarah laughed and Kyle ruffled John's hair, making it messier. "John, that's only a story. Don't go near a crocodile when we're in the jungle, okay?" Kyle said.

"Okay, dad," John answered.

It was their last day of vacation. They were in the middle of packing their belongings which were scattered around their hotel room. They had agreed long time ago that the jungles of Central America were going to be the best place for them to train John. They couldn't gun training him in the middle of the city. People would be suspicious and would call the cops. They wouldn't want that to happen. It would complicate things.

Besides, John could learn surviving skills he would need in the jungle. Kyle would be an excellent teacher for him. Kyle and Sarah would ask anyone capable of teaching their son other skills along the way.

Today was the start of something big.

* * *

><p>The road below them was now only a path in the jungle's floor. John was sleeping in the back of their car. The day started to change into night. Kyle stopped the car when he saw plain grassland without too much trees on it.<p>

"We'd better stop here now. It's getting dark," he said as he turned off the car's engine.

"Okay. You build the tent. I'm going to unpack our stuff. Are we going to stay here too?" Sarah replied.

"Yes, I think so. This is quite good enough for staying; plain green grass and not too much trees," Kyle answered. He went to pick up the tent and his equipments, while Sarah moved to wake John up.

"Are we there yet?" said John sleepily.

"Yes, we are, sweetie. Now get up and help us unpack, will you?" Sarah said softly to her son.

"Alright, mom," John said as he rubbed his knuckles to his eyes.

John exited the car and followed his mother. He looked around.

"Cool. I love it here," John said, excited.

"Good. Because we're going to be here for a while, John," Sarah replied while lifting one of their bag.

"Awesome!" was John's reply.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, sleepy head," Kyle said to his sleeping son. John stirred for a moment, and then remained unmoved again.<p>

"Come on, it's already morning. You don't want to miss your first morning in the woods, do you?" he tried again.

"Five minutes again, dad," John muttered and went back to sleep.

Kyle rolled his eyes and went out from the tent. He came back shortly after with a bucket of cold water in his hands. He dumped the cold water onto his son. John awoke surprised and glared at his dad, who was laughing his head off.

"Dad!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Aw come on, son. Don't be angry. I'm your father," he managed to say between his laughter.

John continued to glare at his father indignantly, which made Kyle laughed even more. "Well, it's an interesting start for today. We have a lot for today. Come on, let's get moving," with that he went out from the tent, giving John time to change his clothes.

* * *

><p>John got out a few minutes after. He had his sneakers on as Kyle had told him to wear that.<p>

"What's up, dad?" John said, now feeling refreshed after inhaling the cool morning breeze.

Kyle grinned. "Are you up to jogging? We're going to jog through the woods."

"Sure," John replied enthusiastically. "Is Mom coming?" he asked.

"No, she isn't. However, she's going to make us breakfast when we come back," Kyle answered.

"Cool," John said.

So, the father and son started jogging together.

* * *

><p>Trees, grass, the morning dews, the birds' songs at the morning; it was the first time for Sarah who used to live in the busy Los Angeles's environment. <em>Kyle and John must have gone jogging<em>, she thought. She deeply inhaled and exhaled the morning air, appreciating it. She saw a wild forest flower and picked it up. It was times like this she felt truly free from her burdens. Not that she was complaining about Kyle and John's presence in her life; they were everything to her and she couldn't imagine a world without them. However, sometimes she needed a private moment to relax and gather her thought. She was, after all, only a young girl when she met Kyle and her personality didn't go through much changes post the meeting. She felt that she was still the waitress with no idea how to balance her checkbook. She didn't feel any bit of the legend Kyle had told her when they first met. She was glad, however. Kyle had never said it again to her after that. The last thing she wanted was that Kyle only loved the legend Sarah Connor not the normal mother Sarah Connor.

The thought led Sarah to wonder how this place was going to be after Judgment Day. She shivered at her imagination. Honestly, she couldn't believe a world without trees and grass. It was too much of a wonderful horror movie's scene.

Sarah played the flower in her hands. Thinking of her current life now, one would never think the big secret they had that was unfortunately also the beginning of their little family. Sarah herself could even try to ignore all of that if she tried hard enough; that Kyle was not from the future, that Judgment Day would never happen, that there was no such thing as a terminator, and that John was a normal kid with a normal destiny, without worries of training him from the future but at the same time tried to make him as normal as possible.

All of these were because of Sky Net. On the other hand, Sky Net also brought blessing to their family. Sarah would not have met Kyle (and therefore had John) if it wasn't due to time travel. _We were getting too much of sci-fi here_, Sarah thought amusedly. She placed the flower in her jacket's pocket and went to prepare breakfast, as she promised Kyle to do. One thought crossed her mind, giving a surprise to her.

_Could Judgment Day be stopped?_

Great, now she felt she was thinking like the mother of the future.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hi everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank you for reading. Reviews, constructive critisms, feedbacks, suggestions and advices are very appreciated. Secondly, for those who are wondering whether Cameron would or would not be in the story, I answer yes, she would, but not for a while. John needs to grow up before he meets Cameron, right? However, I don't know if it would be an eventual Jameron story or not. I honestly have not decided the pairings yet! ;D So, just wait and see...<strong>

**Cheers...**


	7. Out of the Frying Pan

Disclaimer: I do not own Terminator; the plot, the characters and the whole universe.

The Life I Never Knew

Chapter 7 - Out of the Frying Pan

"Okay, John. Now aim carefully to that bulls eye. Hold it steady and fire," Kyle instructed his son.

John did as instructed. His small hands aimed the M-16 carefully and fired, missing a few inches from the bulls eye that was drawn on a tree.

"It's so hard, dad. I couldn't get it right," John sighed, shoulders slightly slumped.

Kyle took the M-16 from John's hand. "That was quite a progress you've made, John. There's nothing bad about it. Here, I'll show you." Kyle took aim. "When you're not in a war situation, it's easier to shoot a target. You just have to focus on that target and ignore everything else. In your eyes, you should only see that spot, nothing else. Keep your hands steady and fire!" Kyle fired and hit the dead center. He looked at his son and saw a mixture of amazement and understanding in John's expression.

"Your turn," he said, offering the gun to John.

John took back the gun and aimed. His brows were furrowed in concentration and determination. He pressed the trigger. A shot went off and hit the bulls eye perfectly. John grinned as if it was Christmas. Kyle hugged his excited son.

"See, that wasn't too hard if you've known how to do it. However, when you're in battlefields, you can't ignore everything that's happening around you. You have to learn how to divide your focus. One fatal mistake can cost your and other's lives. Remember that, John," Kyle said.

John nodded, taking all the information to heart.

"Alright. Let's move on to your next lesson. Now that you have learnt how to shoot a static object, another thing you have to learn is how to shoot a moving target. Watch and learn," Kyle said. He had spotted an antelope moving behind the obscurity of the bushes, possibly searching for its prey. Kyle took aim as the animal was moving continuously, oblivious to the fact that it itself was soon to be the prey in mere seconds from now.

"When your target is moving, you have to study the momentum of their movement. Predict where exactly they will place themselves in the next second and aim your weapon right there. When the opportunity is open, do not hesitate to fire. Here we have to trust our instincts," explained Kyle in a hushed tone so that the antelope would not be alerted of their presences. A shot went off seconds later and the animal let out a cry as it felt the bullet penetrating its body. It fell to the ground shortly after, motionless with blood oozing out of the fresh wounds.

Kyle half-ran toward the dying animal. John followed closely behind.

"See, that's how you do it," Kyle said, turning to look at John. What he didn't expect was John's reaction. John was staring at the dead antelope with a trace of moisture forming in his eyes. He then looked up to meet his father's eyes.

"Yes, dad," he said with a tiny voice. He didn't want to disappoint his father. He had read that crying is a sign of weaknesses. Dad taught him and _expected _him to be strong, even though he didn't know why. He assumed that all dads in the world were just like that.

"John, you okay?" Kyle asked, feeling a bit concerned for his son's well being.

"Yeah, I'm okay," John said, putting up a brave face that never failed to convince his parents.

"Okay, then. Now let's see if we can get another target," Kyle said, searching between the trees and bushes for an animal. He was unaware of John's widening and horrified eyes as he glanced back and forth between the diseased antelope and his father.

* * *

><p>"How's the training today?" Sarah asked her son at dinner. The cooking books she had bought proved to be very useful in polishing Sarah's lack of cooking skill. At least, the books managed to make everything Sarah cooked eatable. So here they were, eating a generally well-cooked mashed potato soup on their portable table.<p>

Living like a nomad for Sarah was hard at first. However, eventually she had gotten used to it and even started enjoying it. Their tent, firmly built by Kyle, had become like home for the three of them. Sometimes they would sleep in sleep bags outside, staring at the stars and listening to Sarah's bedtime stories. When Kyle had collected enough woods to burn, they would sit around a campfire and sang a song. It was their prized moment.

Kyle gulped down a glass of water and answered the question for John. "It went fairly well. John managed to score a bulls eye for the first time ever," he looked at his son proudly, who replied it with a smile.

"That's good," Sarah said.

"Are you sure that you don't want to learn too?" Kyle asked, feeling concerned for his wife's well being. During his times in the future, Sarah Connor was a legend herself, for her admirable strength and toughness. She was the one who taught her son all about warfare and weaponry. It was clear to everyone that John admired her so much. John's father was never mentioned as he had died long before the war. Now that John Connor's father turned out to be _him_, Kyle admitted that he didn't want to know what lay ahead of his fate. If history was going to repeat itself, he knew that he was going to die, soon. He would not be there for Sarah and John. Therefore, he didn't want to think nor consider about that outcome.

Then again, Connor had told him back in the future, "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves." Kyle took comfort of holding to that philosophy. After all, there were many possible futures.

"Nah, I prefer not. I'm just not that type," Sarah said offhandedly, or at least what she thought was offhandedly. In truth she had a very different reason, but they couldn't talk about it in front of John.

Kyle frowned. "But it was useful. You have to be able to defend yourself when they come."

Sarah saw John curiously glanced up at Kyle.

"Kyle," Sarah said warningly. Fortunately, Kyle took the cue and stirred the conversation to a different direction.

As much as Kyle wanted to tell the truth to John, she couldn't allow it. John did not have to know that, not yet.

* * *

><p>That night, Sarah was tucking John to sleep as she did usually.<p>

"Mom, is killing wrong?" John asked, simply and out of nowhere.

Sarah was surprised so that it took her a few seconds before her mind registered her son's question. "Why did you ask that?"

"Um… Dad killed an animal. Is it wrong?" John asked once again.

"Sweetie, killing is wrong, no matter what. However, under certain circumstances it can be justified," Sarah tried her best to explain.

"Oh," was John's reply.

She smiled at her son and gave him a motherly kiss on his forehead. "Alright, John. Have a sweet dream, okay?"

"'kay," mumbled John drowsily.

Sarah put off the candle and went out of the tent. She approached Kyle who was sitting on the grass.

"Hey, babe," Kyle greeted her. Sarah slid down next to him, feeling the softness of the grass beneath. She leaned her head to his shoulder.

"Kyle, I was thinking about something this morning," Sarah said.

"What's that?" Kyle asked, snuggling closer to get more warmth against the moderately cool air.

"Do you think that Judgment Day can be stopped?" Sarah asked.

Kyle furrowed his brows, "I don't know, Sarah. But I've heard some tech guy mentioned about the possibilities of different parallel universes. Besides, future John has also said that there is no fate but what we make. Yes, I think Judgment Day can be stopped. But how to do it is a whole different matter."

"We'll figure it out soon, then. I think maybe we should move back to L.A. I don't want John spending his childhood in the jungle, training and learning things he shouldn't have learnt for kids his age," suggested Sarah.

Kyle shifted so that he could stare at his wife's face. "Look, Sarah. If our circumstances were different, I would have agreed with you since the beginning. But you've seen what they can do, how much danger we are in and how the world will soon meet its destruction. We can't afford being unprepared."

"But if we can stop it, Kyle, John doesn't have to do it. He can live an ordinary life, with nothing dangerous at all," Sarah tried her reasoning.

Kyle sighed. "I know, honey, I know. We've already had this argument. John has to be prepared no matter what."

"You don't believe that Judgment Day can be stopped, do you?" Sarah narrowed her eyes, pulling away from Kyle's embrace.

Kyle sighed once more in exasperation. "It's not like that Sarah. It's not like that. You… don't understand because you haven't seen the future. The ordeal in our past was only a small glimpse of that future. It's beyond horrible, Sarah."

Sarah looked away. "I don't know, alright? I admit I don't know. But you should try to see it from my point of view. This," she gestured at her surroundings, "isn't a place to raise a child. This isn't even a way anyone would ever raise their child as well." She got up and made her way to the tent.

"You're being immature!" Kyle shouted to her retreating form.

Sarah stopped at her track. She turned around. "You know what, Kyle? I think you never love me for who I am. You only love Sarah Connor the legend, the one who is strong and all but willing to condemn her child's childhood to turn him into the man who will save the world!" she was shouting at this point, tears streaming down on her face. "I'm not her. Realize it, Kyle, I CAN NEVER BE HER!" she gave a rough laugh at this. "Look at me! I'm just a crying baby waitress, Kyle. But I want the best for my child." Then she entered the tent, leaving Kyle alone in the darkness of the outer world.

Kyle sighed, that was something he had been doing a lot tonight. He looked up to the sky and asked, "Am I doing the right thing for my family?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hi readers! Thank you for sparing your time for reading this story, and I would be very honored if you spare a little more of your time to press the blue button below and compose a review... :)<strong>

**Ciao...**


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